Adani-Hindenburg saga raises concerns over exposure of LIC, public sector banks
The HinduPublished : Mar 09, 2023 10:40 IST After the Hindenburg hit, as the stock values of the Adani group companies unwound from the clearly unwarranted highs to which they had risen, one concern was the impact this meltdown would have on financial investors exposed to Adani firms. First, how significantly would the loss resulting from the exposure to the Adani group affect the profitability and viability of these public financial institutions, with attendant systemic effects on the rest of the financial system and the economy? Even if it is true that this loss would not affect LIC much, since its total exposure to the Adani group estimated at book value is just 0.975 per cent of its assets under management, it presumably will reflect in the bonuses paid to investors. Kumar, Chairman of LIC, of the corporation’s Rs.30,000-plus crore exposure to the Adani group, around Rs.6,000 crore is in debt. There was no reason why the exposure of public financial institutions such as LIC to the Adani group should have kept pace with that growth.